14 September 2011

In Monday's night Step class, I seemed to have done something to my right calf... and it's been mildly painful. Because of that... I tried to take it easy yesterday in Circuit 30/Cycle 30, and Zumba... today it wasn't as great as I wished it would be. Today was my Ct5K workout (which is now basically, trying to jog for 30 minutes) but I knew my calf was acting up... so I tried to just do a mock fitness test: 1 min of pushups and situps, and the 1.5mile run time. I did 45 situps (min is 38, but goal is 54), 20 pushups (min is 18, goal is 25), and my run time was horrible! My last time was 14:30, this time it was 15:58! :/ Thankfully, if I had to test today (test is Oct 6th), I'd barely pass-- 76% (need 75%)... but I could do so much better!

So... please pray for wisdom with working out (knowing how to take it easy), and pray for healing! I really need to take my test because I'm already behind because weather cancelled my last attempts to test...

10 September 2011

I have a bad habit. I sign up for races, and then I do not train for them. This is the second time I have been at Keesler during the fall timeframe. The first time I did this race was 4 years go. It was a 200yd swim, 6mi ride, and 2mi run. My times were: 4min swim + 2.5min transition, 23 min ride + 1min transition, 18:30 run= 48:06)

Today's race was 200yd swim, 9.2mi bike, and 2mi run. There was a lot more people this time around, and I thought being in the Athena division (women above 150lbs) would give me an edge on the competition, and I'd be able to place.

Well, as the Lord would have it, I did not place. It was a little frustrating, but this time around... I kind of trained. And by kind of, I mean... I haven't swam at all since I've been at here, the only riding I've done is 30 min of spin class the last few weeks, and running--well that Ct5K has definitely worked in my favor (as opposed to the last triathlon I did in HI)... I cannot say what my goal times were, although while I was on the bike, I definitely wanted to finish my 2miles in less than 22 minutes.

Times according to my HR monitor (official times won't be out for about a week)...

4:25 swim + 4min transition, 16:56 first lap/17:58 second lap +1:38 transition, 9:42 first mile, 9:39 second mile = 1hr 4min total time. Glad my run went well, especially since I was thinking, "don't forget to stretch before starting the run" and I totally forgot to stretch. So when I grabbed the water at the turnaround I walked a little to stretch out.

In the end, I didn't get a trophy, I got a T-Shirt too big (size L-- and it's white w/black lettering :/), but I met some cool people, reunited with some random faces I've seen around the gyms, had someone take pics of me (and her husband), and... I'm really stoked with the overall performance. I felt like I felt 4-5 years ago when I was doing triathlons--before the baby, before the amelo.

07 September 2011

You know, they always say that the scale is not your friend...and I of all people should know that, especially having been in the Bod Pod so many times, and especially after my last trip--even though I weighed a little more than when I did after being wired shut, I had lost lots of pounds of fat, and gained some pounds of muscle.

So I have this pair of fantastic grey cotton pants that I bought from Banana, on clearance, shortly after being cut free from surgery. So I was skinny. And then I started eating...and my waist was not so skinny. For whatever reason, I opted to bring them with me on this trip...because I figured one way to tell if I was getting skinnier, would be because those pants would fit me.

Tonight during Zumba (we had a sub, she was crazy all about the Latin music...different than our normal teacher, but I still got worked!)...I noticed my side profile seemed a little thin (even though when I look down standing, my tummy still seems the same size)...so I thought, "Hmm... I should try on those skinny pants..."

After my shower... I slipped on the skinny pants, and buttoned them! I didn't even have to lay down to button them ;)

So indeed folks. Though the scale might not budge, your body composition changes. Don't go by weight alone. (I'm looking forward to going home, and hopefully taping myself to see if I've lost some inches around various bodyparts).

I have been pretty ticked about my performance on our big test yesterday. I was neck-in neck with this other student who had also aced the first two tests so far. I could hear Satan trying to pull me back in this section of class, because it is the only section that I failed 4 years ago when I was at the Weather Officers' Course (the time I started this blog!). Anyway, so I hadn't aced any of the quizzes, but I also hadn't failed any.

Then during the test there was a few questions I wasn't sure about. I reviewed the test, and changed a couple answers. One question I had it narrowed down between two answers. And I could hear the Holy Spirit telling me to stick with what I knew. I knew I knew one part, but then I thought I knew the other part. So I foolishly stuck with the part I thought I knew (WHY?!) and I got it wrong. I changed the answer to the wrong answer.

Classic test mistake. Although I'm not sure the Holy Spirit always does this with other people... but it's been hard for me to swallow. I was pretty bent out of shape on it, because the other person aced his test.

My chica told me that I needed to ask God to forgive me for not performing up to my standards (and my heart, I was having a hard time in this class focusing on doing well for God's glory, and not for my own personal gain of doing well against this other person to compete for an award). I didn't even think that I needed to ask for forgiveness...so I tried yesterday. And in the end, I just tried not to think about it.

This morning's devo from Jon Courson is pretty sweet... I think it sums up what I need to be doing right now-Standing on the Cross. Enjoy!

How beautiful are thy feet with shoes, O prince’s daughter!

Song of Solomon 7:1 (a)

The king compliments his bride upon the beauty of her feet, which is somewhat unusual since feet are not necessarily the prettiest part of a person. But therein lies an interesting thought. You see, according to Ephesians 6:15, we are shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace. That is, we stand on the Gospel of peace - not upon our own efforts, works, or righteousness, but on the good news of God’s peace with us.

When Moses stood on holy ground, what did God instruct him to do? Remove the sandals from his feet (Exodus 3:5). When the prodigal son returned home, what did his father do? He put sandals on his feet (Luke 15:22). Why? Because Moses speaks of the Law, while the prodigal speaks of grace.

If you think you can stand on the Law, take off your shoes because you’ll never make it. You cannot earn or deserve God’s blessings. But if you’re at a place where you say, “I need God’s forgiveness, grace, and mercy in my life,” then, like the prodigal, you will experience the Gospel of peace being placed upon your feet.

Dear Church, dear Bride, hear this: We do not stand on what we do or how we behave. We stand on the finished work of the Cross. We stand on what Jesus Christ has done for us. We stand on the Gospel of peace.

Pouring Out the Water of Satisfaction

What has been like “water from the well of Bethlehem” to you recently— love, friendship, or maybe some spiritual blessing ( 2 Samuel 23:16 )? Have you taken whatever it may be, even at the risk of damaging your own soul, simply to satisfy yourself? If you have, then you cannot pour it out “to the Lord.” You can never set apart for God something that you desire for yourself to achieve your own satisfaction. If you try to satisfy yourself with a blessing from God, it will corrupt you. You must sacrifice it, pouring it out to God— something that your common sense says is an absurd waste.

How can I pour out “to the Lord” natural love and spiritual blessings? There is only one way— I must make a determination in my mind to do so. There are certain things other people do that could never be received by someone who does not know God, because it is humanly impossible to repay them. As soon as I realize that something is too wonderful for me, that I am not worthy to receive it, and that it is not meant for a human being at all, I must pour it out “to the Lord.” Then these very things that have come to me will be poured out as “rivers of living water” all around me (John 7:38). And until I pour these things out to God, they actually endanger those I love, as well as myself, because they will be turned into lust. Yes, we can be lustful in things that are not sordid and vile. Even love must be transformed by being poured out “to the Lord.”

If you have become bitter and sour, it is because when God gave you a blessing you hoarded it. Yet if you had poured it out to Him, you would have been the sweetest person on earth. If you are always keeping blessings to yourself and never learning to pour out anything “to the Lord,” other people will never have their vision of God expanded through you.